[Stevie]

Just thought of something. Maybe AB has a skunkworks zymatic type device and they need a name to put on it.

[JJeffers09]

Whats next BSG/YCH/Wyeast/WLP?/Blichmann?  I don't get it.  They want to hold the market in everything beer related.

[hopfenundmalz]

Whats next BSG/YCH/Wyeast/WLP?/Blichmann?  I don't get it.  They want to hold the market in everything beer related.

Well, follow the ownership trail, and think about a reason for buying/selling.

BSG is owned by Rahr Maltings. They sell to many other Brewers. Not sure why ABInbev would want to buy them. Country Malt Group is owned by Canada Malting, which is owned by an Australian Malting company.

YCH is owned by a group of hop growers in the PNW. They sell world wide. ABInbev owns the large hop farm on Idaho, Elk Mountain, so they are in the hops business. One can wonder if we will see "Elk Mountian" branded hops in the LHBS cooler.

While Labs and Wyeast have are private as far as I know. Much of their business is selling commercial sized pitches to craft breweries. I think the backlash from a sale would be a deterrent. Many new yeast labs have popped up, so there are alternatives that would fill the LHBS supply.

Blichmann? One would have to ask John. The new BYO is full of competitors advertising equipment similar to Blichmann.

[JJeffers09]

Whats next BSG/YCH/Wyeast/WLP?/Blichmann?  I don't get it.  They want to hold the market in everything beer related.

Well, follow the ownership trail, and think about a reason for buying/selling.

BSG is owned by Rahr Maltings. They sell to many other Brewers. Not sure why ABInbev would want to buy them. Country Malt Group is owned by Canada Malting, which is owned by an Australian Malting company.

YCH is owned by a group of hop growers in the PNW. They sell world wide. ABInbev owns the large hop farm on Idaho, Elk Mountain, so they are in the hops business. One can wonder if we will see "Elk Mountian" branded hops in the LHBS cooler.

While Labs and Wyeast have are private as far as I know. Much of their business is selling commercial sized pitches to craft breweries. I think the backlash from a sale would be a deterrent. Many new yeast labs have popped up, so there are alternatives that would fill the LHBS supply.

Blichmann? One would have to ask John. The new BYO is full of competitors advertising equipment similar to Blichmann.

I was just saying that this move doesn't make since.  The 2 homebrew companies are looking at like $50M and I think they are buying up options that put there hand in the craft/homebrew arenas.  So my point was that when will they stop.  I understand they have there own hopfarms, but since when does that stop them?  They have there own breweries, why are they buying others...

[hopfenundmalz]

Whats next BSG/YCH/Wyeast/WLP?/Blichmann?  I don't get it.  They want to hold the market in everything beer related.

Well, follow the ownership trail, and think about a reason for buying/selling.

BSG is owned by Rahr Maltings. They sell to many other Brewers. Not sure why ABInbev would want to buy them. Country Malt Group is owned by Canada Malting, which is owned by an Australian Malting company.

YCH is owned by a group of hop growers in the PNW. They sell world wide. ABInbev owns the large hop farm on Idaho, Elk Mountain, so they are in the hops business. One can wonder if we will see "Elk Mountian" branded hops in the LHBS cooler.

While Labs and Wyeast have are private as far as I know. Much of their business is selling commercial sized pitches to craft breweries. I think the backlash from a sale would be a deterrent. Many new yeast labs have popped up, so there are alternatives that would fill the LHBS supply.

Blichmann? One would have to ask John. The new BYO is full of competitors advertising equipment similar to Blichmann.

I was just saying that this move doesn't make since.  The 2 homebrew companies are looking at like $50M and I think they are buying up options that put there hand in the craft/homebrew arenas.  So my point was that when will they stop.  I understand they have there own hopfarms, but since when does that stop them?  They have there own breweries, why are they buying others...

They expand production of beers like GI 312 in their breweries and those get wide distribution, keeps the volume up in underutilized breweries.

ABInbev is in hops and malt production. That way they know the supply chain and costs.

I'm not sure what the logic was for this purchase either. Time will tell.

[Phil_M]

Let's face it-the average American beer drinker doesn't care that Goose Island is owned by Bud. Far as I can tell, most folks buy the "crafty" beer lie hook, line, and sinker.

Maybe AB is heading towards playing this line even more. "Look, now we can help you homebrew too!"

[JJeffers09]

F! That...

Sent from my SM-S820L using Tapatalk

[Big Monk]

I'm surprised no one has stated the obvious yet: Who cares?

This obsession people have to rail against macro brewing is monotonous and boring.

[Phil_M]

I've got nothing against macro beer, and spend a good bit of money on it. Heineken is still my favorite beer for having with hard crabs.

I just don't like InBev/AB. Yet another American company that sold out to save money, and their business practices/attitudes towards craft beer/home brewing has been chilly at best. For that reason, I don't like them, and won't support them.

[Stevie]

I'm surprised no one has stated the obvious yet: Who cares?

This obsession people have to rail against macro brewing is monotonous and boring.

+ 1

Too many snobs on high horses.

[Hooper]

Maybe a few wheels at InBev were sitting around discussing the homebrew hate talk that gets stirred up every time they buy a small craft brewer and decide to really get the “publicity” going and buy right into the heart of the craft…just for fun...

[EchoValley]

Maybe a few wheels at InBev were sitting around discussing the homebrew hate talk that gets stirred up every time they buy a small craft brewer and decide to really get the “publicity” going and buy right into the heart of the craft…just for fun...

^^^I had that "lets mess with em" thought as well. 

[tommymorris]

I personally think speculation about the NB purchase is interesting. I am curious what the business plan is.

I drink an occasional InBev beer and don't really care who owns the brand. On the crafty beer side, I see InBev buying brands to participate in the craft market. But, I think craft is about constant innovation. Brewers have to keep innovating and introducing new beers to stay popular. I think InBev will wear out some of the flag ships they have purchased and will constantly be buying craft breweries to stay current. But, I think they are okay with that. Sometimes it's cheaper to buy innovation after it catches on, than to pay the high cost of failure that comes with so many ideas.

[coastsidemike]

This is an interesting thread, lots of theories going on and so I figure I'll add another. 

What if they want to expand interest in craft beer more globally?  Homebrewers who expand into professional brewing seems like a natural progression, and NB could be a blueprint for growing business in other continents.  In some areas of the world craft beer is hard to come by, especially good-if-not-great craft beer.  If there are more brewers getting started world-wide, there will eventually be a shift market-by-market in craft beer consumption.  Seems like controlling/managing ingredient supply is an important component of their business, and they need to connect to the next generation of brewers as well.

[Gary Glass]

We've got a post on the Anheuser Busch Inbev acquisition of Northern Brewer/Midwest on HomebrewersAssociation.org, along with a reader poll.  We'd love to get your views on this via the poll.

https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/news/northern-brewer-purchased-anheuser-busch-inbev/